Big Shake-up On TODAY?: Are Meredith Vieira And Matt Lauer Both Leaving?

Just yesterday a story started to circulate that Meredith Vieira, co-host of NBC’s TODAY Show, will announce that she will retire from the show in September. Now a story is circulating that Matt Lauer may do the same, leaving the leading morning news program with a search for two replacements able to carry on the high ratings. In the case of Vieira, her husband is ailing from both cancer and multiple sclerosis. In the case of Matt Lauer, reports are simply that he intends not to renew his contract when it expires on December 31,2012.

There must be some nervousness at NBC these days. When your top stars leave a leading show NBC executives cannot be very happy. This evening, NBC has put out a report claiming the two are not exiting. But, this might mean that NBC executives are busy at work making sure the two are happy at the network. Sometimes exit rumors are useful for future contract negotiations.

Matt Lauer has been the lead host on the TODAY Show for 13 years, while Meredith Vieira was a replacement for Katie Couric who left for her ill-fated stint as anchor of the CBS News.

Are Matt Lauer and Meredith Vieira leaving? Conflicting stories make it difficult to sort out whether the two are in or out.